Self-capacitance device for object recognition on capacitance touchscreen

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a self-capacitance device that is configured to be detectable by a known touchscreen without the need for human contact. Such a device has a device body, a capacitance structure disposed within the body, and at least three contacts disposed on one side of the body and electrically coupled to the capacitance structure. Further disclosed herein are systems having at least two such self-capacitance devices and a software application configured to recognize each of the at least two self-capacitance devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/747,024, filed Jan. 20, 2020, issued May 10, 2022 as U.S. Pat. No.11,327,596, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/796,322, filed Jan. 24, 2019 and entitled “Self-Capacitance Devicefor Object Recognition on Capacitance Touchscreen,” which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety under 35 U.S.C. §119(e).

FIELD

The various embodiments herein relate to self-capacitance devices thatcan be detected by a known computer touchscreen and related systems thatallow for such devices to interact with such touchscreens for purposesof various computer games and the like.

BACKGROUND

Known projected capacitive touchscreens require contact from a portionof a human body. That is, the known touchscreens register contact on thetouchscreen by recognizing the capacitance of the portion of the humanbody in contact with the surface as well as the surface area of the bodyportion touching the screen.

As a result of this capacitance requirement, known touchscreensgenerally cannot detect contact from objects other than human skin. Oneknown solution to this problem is to use a conductive object to pass thecapacitance of the hand of the user holding the object through theobject and to the touchscreen. One disadvantage of this approach is thatthe user must maintain constant contact with the object with a bare handin order for the capacitance to be transferred through the object andthus for the touchscreen to detect the object. As soon as the userreleases the object or otherwise breaks contact with the object, thetouchscreen can no longer detect the presence of the object.

There is a need in the art for an improved device that can be detectedby a touchscreen even if a user is not touching the device.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Discussed herein are various self-capacitance devices for use with aknown touchscreen and various systems including at least oneself-capacitance device and software that can interact with the device.Some device embodiments have a capacitance structure and at least threecontacts electrically coupled to the capacitance structure.

In Example 1, a self-capacitance device comprises a body, a capacitancecoil disposed within the body, and at least three contacts disposed on adistal side of the body, wherein the at least three are in electricalcontact with the capacitance coil.

Example 2 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 1,further comprising at least one weight disposed within the body.

Example 3 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 1,wherein the body comprises an internal wall disposed within the body, anexternal wall defining an outer surface of the body, a first spacedefined within the internal wall, and a second space defined between theinternal wall and the external wall.

Example 4 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 3,wherein at least one weight is positionable within the first space andthe capacitance coil is disposed within the second space.

Example 5 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 1,further comprising an object disposed on a proximal side of the body.

Example 6 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 1,further comprising a removable cover removably disposable on a proximalside of the body.

Example 7 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 6,further comprising an object disposed on the removable cover.

Example 8 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 7,wherein the object comprises an enclosure attached to the removablecover, and a three-dimensional object disposed within the enclosure.

Example 9 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example 1,further comprising an opening defined in a proximal side of the body, acover removably coupleable with the body at the opening, and a weightdisposed within a first space within the body, wherein the capacitancecoil is disposed within a second space within the body.

In Example 10, an object identification system for use with atouchscreen device comprises at least two self-capacitance devices,wherein each self-capacitance device comprises a body, a capacitancecoil disposed within the body, and at least three contacts disposed in apredetermined pattern on a distal side of the body such that thepredetermined pattern is unique to the self-capacitance device, whereinthe at least three are in electrical contact with the capacitance coil.Further, the system also comprises a software application configured torecognize each predetermined pattern of the at least three contacts oneach of the at least two self-capacitance devices.

Example 11 relates to the object identification system according toExample 10, wherein the software application is stored on atransportable memory device.

Example 12 relates to the object identification system according toExample 11, wherein the system further comprises retail systempackaging, wherein the at least two self-capacitance devices and thetransportable memory device are disposed within the retail systempackaging.

Example 13 relates to the object identification system according toExample 10, wherein the system further comprises retail systempackaging, wherein the retail system packaging comprises the at leasttwo self-capacitance devices and instructions for downloading thesoftware application.

Example 14 relates to the object identification system according toExample 10, wherein the body comprises at least one weight is disposablewithin the body.

Example 15 relates to the object identification system according toExample 10, further comprising an object disposed on a proximal side ofthe body.

Example 16 relates to the object identification system according toExample 10, further comprising a removable cover removably disposable ona proximal side of the body.

Example 17 relates to the object identification system according toExample 16, further comprising an object disposed on the removablecover.

Example 18 relates to the object identification system according toExample 17, wherein the object comprises an enclosure attached to theremovable cover, and a three-dimensional object disposed within theenclosure.

In Example 19, a self-capacitance device comprises a device body, anobject disposed on a first side of the body, a capacitance structuredisposed within the body, and at least three contacts disposed on asecond side of the body, wherein the at least three contacts are inelectrical contact with the capacitance structure.

Example 20 relates to the self-capacitance device according to Example19, wherein the object comprises an enclosure attached to the first sideof the body, and a three-dimensional object disposed within theenclosure.

In Example 21, an object identification system comprises a touchscreendevice, at least two self-capacitance devices, wherein eachself-capacitance device comprises a body, a capacitance coil disposedwithin the body, and at least three contacts disposed in a predeterminedpattern on a distal side of the body such that the predetermined patternis unique to the self-capacitance device, wherein the at least three arein electrical contact with the capacitance coil. Further, the systemalso comprises a software application operably storable within thetouchscreen device, wherein the software application is configured torecognize each predetermined pattern of the at least three contacts oneach of the at least two self-capacitance devices.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments. As willbe realized, the various implementations are capable of modifications invarious obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scopethereof. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to beregarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-capacitance device disposed on atouchscreen, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2A is an expanded perspective view of the self-capacitance deviceof FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the self-capacitance device of FIG. 1 ,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2C is a top view of the self-capacitance device of FIG. 1 ,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2D is a bottom view of the self-capacitance device of FIG. 1 ,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a self-capacitance device,according to another embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the self-capacitance device of FIG. 3A,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional side view of the self-capacitance device ofFIG. 3A, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional perspective view of the self-capacitancedevice of FIG. 3A, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a top view of a self-capacitance device with conductivecontacts disposed in a specific arrangement on the device, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a top view of a self-capacitance device with conductivecontacts disposed in another specific arrangement on the device,according to a further embodiment.

FIG. 4C is a top view of a self-capacitance device with conductivecontacts disposed in a further specific arrangement on the device,according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4D is a top view of a self-capacitance device with conductivecontacts disposed in yet another specific arrangement on the device,according to yet another embodiment.

FIG. 4E is a top view of a self-capacitance device with conductivecontacts disposed in another specific arrangement on the device,according to a further embodiment.

FIG. 5A depicts a system having a self-capacitance device and a knowntablet, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5B depicts the system of FIG. 5A in which the self-capacitancedevice is placed into contact with the touchscreen of the tablet,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a side view of a self-capacitance device with an objectdisposed thereon, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the self-capacitance device of FIG. 6A,according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments disclosed or contemplated herein relate toself-capacitance devices that can be detected by a known touchscreenwithout the need for human contact. Further, in certain implementations,certain systems are provided having two or more such self-capacitancedevices and accompanying software that can utilize the detectioncapabilities to distinguish between the two or more devices. Each suchself-capacitance device can replicate the capacitance and surface areaof a human finger. As such, in the system embodiments, the software canutilize the distance and angles between the contact points of anyspecific self-capacitance device (of the two or more devices) in contactwith a touchscreen to distinguish between and recognize the separateself-capacitance devices placed thereon, along with the position andorientation of the devices. That is, unlike known devices that requireconductivity and a user touching the known device at all times such thatcapacitance passes from the user through the known device, certaindevice embodiments as contemplated herein can simulate the presence of ahuman finger on a touchscreen using self-capacitance without requiringan external capacitance source.

A self-capacitance device 10 disposed on a known touchscreen 12 isdepicted in FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment. The device 10 isdepicted in further detail in FIGS. 2A through 2D. The device 10 has adevice body 14, a top (or proximal) cover 16, three contacts 18 disposedat the bottom (or distal end) of the body 14, and three attachmentmechanisms 20 that couple the top cover 16 to the body 14. It isunderstood that the body 14 contains a self-capacitance coil or otherself-capacitance structure (not shown), as will be described inadditional detail below with respect to other embodiments.

The device body 14 in this embodiment is generally cylindrical as shown.Alternatively, the device body 14 can be generally rectangular,generally square, or any other known shape, so long as the body 14 hasthe same components and features as described herein.

According to the exemplary embodiment as shown, the top cover 16 isremovably attached to the top of the body 14 with the three attachmentmechanisms 20 as depicted. Alternatively, the cover 16 can be disposedon the bottom side of the body 14. In a further alternative, theremovable cover 16 can be disposed on a side of the body 14. In eachsuch implementation, the cover 16 is configured to be removable suchthat the self-capacitance coil (not shown) can be positioned withinand/or removed from the body 14. In yet another alternative embodiment,the body 14 has no cover.

The three attachment mechanisms 20 as shown in this particularimplementation are three screws 20. Alternatively, the attachmentmechanisms 20 can be any known attachment mechanisms, such as bolts,clamps, rivets, or any other such known mechanisms for removablycoupling the top cover 16 to the body 14. In a further alternative, itis understood that the number of attachment mechanisms is not limited tothree. Instead, the device 10 can have one, two, four, five, six, or anynumber of attachment mechanisms.

The three contacts 18, according to one embodiment, are conductivebutton or knob-shaped contacts 18 that are disposed on the bottomsurface of body 14 such that the contacts 18 are in contact with asurface of a touchscreen (not shown) when the device 10 is placedthereon. The contacts 18 in this implementation are curved or convex.Alternatively, the tips or contact surfaces of the contacts 18 can beflat or any other known shape for a contact. In one embodiment, thecontacts 18 can be made of any conductive material. For example, thecontacts 18 can be made of conductive rubber, conductive foam,conductive plastic, or any other known conductive material that can beused as a contact in this type of device. It is understood that thedevice 10 is not limited to having three contacts 18. Rather, the device10 can have one, two, four, five, six, or any number of contacts 18disposed on the bottom surface of the body 14.

It is understood that the various characteristics and features andalternative embodiments of the body 14, top cover 16, attachmentmechanisms 20, and the contacts 18 can also be incorporated into anyother device or system embodiment disclosed or contemplated herein.

Another implementation of a self-capacitance device 30 is depicted inFIGS. 3A-3D. The device 30 has a device body 32, a top (or proximal)cover 34, a self-capacitance structure 36 that can be disposed withinthe body 32, at least one weight 38 also disposed within the body 32,three contacts 40 disposed at the bottom (or distal end) of the body 32,and three attachment mechanisms 44 that couple the top cover 34 to thebody 32. It is understood that various components and features of thisdevice 30 are substantially similar to the corresponding components andfeatures of the previous device 10 embodiment and thus will not bediscussed herein. Instead, only the components/features that aredifferent or new will be discussed in detail below. Further, it isunderstood that the new and/or different components/features can also beincorporated into any other embodiment disclosed or contemplated herein.

In one embodiment, the body 32 and cover 34 (and any other body or coverembodiments herein) can be made of any suitably hard material. Forexample, the body 32 and cover 34 can be made of a suitably hardplastic, metal (such as, for example aluminum), or wood. Further, thebody 32 and cover 34 can be formed via any known process, including, forexample, 3D printing or machining. In this specific embodiment, theself-capacitance structure 36 consists of a length of solid insulated 22AWG wire formed into a coil. In other embodiments, the self-capacitancestructure 36 could consist of any gauge and type of known conductivewire that will fit the space 48. The weight 38 used in this exemplaryimplementation consists of tungsten carbide, however any suitably heavymaterial could be used. For example, the weight 38 could consist ofsteel or lead or any other such known material. Alternatively, the body32 (or any body embodiment herein) can contain no weight therein.

The device body 32 has an external wall 32 and an internal wall 46defining a space 48 therebetween. The space 48 can be sized and shapedto receive the self-capacitance coil 36 as shown. Further, the internalwall 46 defines an opening or space 54 within the wall 46 that is sizedand shaped to receive the at least one weight 38. In addition, in thisimplementation, the internal wall 46 has three openings 50 definedtherein that are configured to attachably receive the attachmentmechanisms 44.

It is understood that the three attachment mechanisms 44 aresubstantially similar to the attachment mechanisms 20 discussed aboveand that the discussion regarding those mechanisms 20, and all featuresand variations thereof, apply equally to this embodiment. In thisembodiment, the attachment mechanisms 44 extend through the openings 52in the top cover 34 and into the openings 50 defined in the inner wall46, as mentioned above. Thus, the mechanisms 44 can be used to removablycouple the cover 34 to the body 32.

It is understood that that the three contacts 40 are substantiallysimilar to the contacts 18 discussed above and that the discussionregarding those contacts 18, and all features and variations thereof,apply equally to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the contacts 40have attachment and connection mechanisms 42 attached thereto thatprovide for attachment of the contacts 40 to the body 32 and alsoprovide for electrical connection to the self-capacitance structure 36.That is, the attachment and connection mechanisms 42 can be threadedscrews or any other known attachment mechanisms that extend throughopenings (not shown) defined in the bottom portion of the body 32 andinto the coil space 48 such that the mechanisms 42 are in contact withthe self-capacitance structure 36 disposed therein, thereby establishingan electrical connection between the structure 36 and the contacts 40.

The at least one weight 38 is disposed within the weight space 54 andintended to improve the electrical contact between the contacts 40 andthe known touchscreen which the contacts 40 are in contact with. Thatis, the at least one weight 38 urges the contacts 40 against thetouchscreen (not shown) with greater force than if the device 30 did nothave the at least one weight 38. The at least one weight 38 in thisspecific example is four circular or cylindrical weights 38 in a stackedconfiguration as shown. Alternatively, the at least one weight 38 can beone, two, three, five, six, or any number of weights 38 that aredisposed or are can be disposed within the weight space 54. In oneexemplary implementation, the use of two or more weights 38 provides theopportunity to increase or decrease the number of weights 38 disposedwithin the device 30. In a further alternative, the weight(s) can haveany known shape and/or configuration.

FIGS. 4A-4E depict top views of various different self-capacitancedevice 60 embodiments with different numbers and/or configurations ofcontacts 62. The different possible arrangements or disposition of thecontacts 62 on the bottom of the device 60 allow for custom software tooperate in conjunction with a touchscreen (not shown) to recognizeseveral different unique objects placed on the touchscreensimultaneously, as well as their relative position and rotation on thescreen's surface. That is, the different contact configurations as shown(and any other of a countless number of configurations of contacts)allow for each separate device with a unique configuration to bedistinguished from the other devices with different configurations.

The various self-capacitance device and system embodiments disclosed orcontemplated herein have several practical uses. As depicted in FIGS. 5Aand 5B, one such system 70 includes an exemplary self-capacitance device72 (which can be equivalent to any device embodiment herein) and anyknown tablet 80 or other type of known computing device (such as alaptop, mobile phone, etc.) having a touchscreen 74. As best shown inFIG. 5B, the device 72 can be placed into contact with the touchscreenon the tablet 80 as discussed elsewhere herein. In this embodiment, asbest shown in FIG. 5A, the tablet 80 (or other computing device) has aprocessor 76 and a software component (such as, for example, a modularsoftware component) 78 that is configured to operate in conjunction withthe self-capacitance device 72 to allow for the device 72 and the tablet80 to interact as described herein such that the touchpad 74 recognizesand can identify the device 72 when it is placed into contact therewith.

For example, the device 72 can be used as a game piece for a digitalgame in which the device 72 is used to interact with the digital gameboard displayed on the touchscreen 74 by being placed into contact withthe touchscreen 74 and/or moved around while in contact with thetouchscreen 74 as shown in FIG. 5B. In this example, the game softwarein the software component 78 would recognize and track theself-capacitance game piece (or pieces) 72 as described above. Incertain alternative embodiments, an object (not shown), such as, but notlimited to, an image, words, or a 3-D object, for example, may beaffixed, magnetically attached to, or otherwise disposed on the top ofthe device 72 according to an embodiment herein. When the combinedobject (the self-capacitance device 72 and the attached object) isplaced in contact with the touchscreen 74, the appropriate software 78could operate with the processor 76 to display information related tothat specific object. Designs may be included on the lid of the device72, or the device 72 may be contained within another larger object.

One exemplary embodiment of a device 90 with an object 92 disposedthereon is depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In this implementation, theobject 92 is a clear resin encasement 94 with a three-dimensional(“3-D”) object 96 encased within the encasement 94 as shown. In oneembodiment, the 3-D object 96 visible within the encasement 94 can be afigure or other object such as a toy or vehicle or any other type ofobject that would be disposed on the device 90 for purposes of use witha touchscreen 74 according to any of the embodiments disclosed orcontemplated herein. In various alternative embodiments, the object (inthis case, a 3-D object 96) can be attached directly to the device 90without an encasement. In further implementations, any type of knownencasement or enclosure or other similar structure can be provided, withthe object 96 disposed therein. It is understood that any object orstructure of any kind can be attached to any device embodiment disclosedor contemplated herein.

Although the various embodiments have been described with reference topreferred implementations, persons skilled in the art will recognizethat changes may be made in form and detail without departing from thespirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A self-capacitance device comprising: (a) a body;(b) a capacitance coil disposed within the body; and (c) at least threecontacts disposed on a distal side of the body, wherein the at leastthree contacts are in electrical contact with the capacitance coil,wherein the device is detectable by a touchscreen without human contactas a result of the capacitance coil when the at least three contacts arepositioned in contact with the touchscreen.
 2. The self-capacitancedevice of claim 1, wherein the electrical contacts between thecapacitance coil and the at least three contacts are the only electricalconnections with the capacitance coil.
 3. The self-capacitance device ofclaim 2, wherein the body comprises: (a) an internal wall disposedwithin the body; (b) an external wall defining an outer surface of thebody; (c) a first space defined within the internal wall; and (d) asecond space defined between the internal wall and the external wall. 4.The self-capacitance device of claim 3, wherein at least one weight ispositionable within the first space and the capacitance coil is disposedwithin the second space.
 5. The self-capacitance device of claim 2,further comprising at least three attachment and connection mechanisms,wherein each of the at least three attachment and connection mechanismsfixedly attaches one of the at least three contacts to the body andprovides the electrical connection between the corresponding contact andthe capacitance coil.
 6. The self-capacitance device of claim 5, whereineach of the at least three attachment and connection mechanismscomprises an elongated, threaded member in physical contact with thecapacitance coil.
 7. The self-capacitance device of claim 1, wherein thedevice is configured to be free-standing upon the touchscreen with theat least three contacts positioned in contact with the touchscreen. 8.The self-capacitance device of claim 7, wherein the electrical contactsbetween the capacitance coil and the at least three contacts are theonly electrical connections with the capacitance coil.
 9. Theself-capacitance device of claim 8, further comprising: (a) an openingdefined in a proximal side of the body; (b) a cover removably coupleablewith the body at the opening; and (c) a weight disposed within a firstspace within the body, wherein the capacitance coil is disposed within asecond space within the body.
 10. An object identification system foruse with a touchscreen device, the system comprising: (a) at least twoself-capacitance devices, wherein each self-capacitance devicecomprises: (i) a body; (ii) a capacitance coil disposed within the body;and (iii) at least three contacts disposed in a predetermined pattern ona distal side of the body such that the predetermined pattern isassociated with the self-capacitance device, wherein the at least threecontacts are in electrical contact with the capacitance coil, whereineach of the at least two devices is separately detectable by atouchscreen without human contact as a result of the capacitance coilwhen the at least three contacts are positioned in contact with thetouchscreen, and wherein each of the at least two devices is configuredto be free-standing upon the touchscreen with the at least threecontacts positioned in contact with the touchscreen; and (b) a softwareapplication configured to recognize each predetermined pattern of the atleast three contacts on each of the at least two self-capacitancedevices.
 11. The object identification system of claim 10, wherein thesoftware application is stored on a transportable memory device.
 12. Theobject identification system of claim 11, wherein the system furthercomprises retail system packaging, wherein the at least twoself-capacitance devices and the transportable memory device aredisposed within the retail system packaging.
 13. The objectidentification system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprisesretail system packaging, wherein the retail system packaging comprisesthe at least two self-capacitance devices and instructions fordownloading the software application.
 14. The object identificationsystem of claim 10, wherein the body comprises at least one weightdisposed within the body.
 15. The object identification system of claim10, wherein the electrical contacts between the capacitance coil and theat least three contacts are the only electrical connections with thecapacitance coil.
 16. The object identification system of claim 10,further comprising a removable cover removably disposable on a proximalside of the body.
 17. The object identification system of claim 16,further comprising an object disposed on the removable cover.
 18. Theobject identification system of claim 17, wherein the object comprises:(a) an enclosure attached to the removable cover; and (b) athree-dimensional object disposed within the enclosure.
 19. Aself-capacitance device comprising: (a) a device body; (b) an objectdisposed on a first side of the body; (c) an unpowered capacitancestructure disposed within the body; and (d) at least three contactsdisposed on a second side of the body, wherein the at least threecontacts are in electrical contact with the capacitance structure; andwherein the device is configured to be free-standing upon thetouchscreen with the at least three contacts positioned in contact withthe touchscreen.
 20. The self-capacitance device of claim 19, whereinthe object comprises: (a) an enclosure attached to the first side of thebody; and (b) a three-dimensional object disposed within the enclosure.